


until the very end

by punk_rock_yuppie



Series: Hartmon Week 2016 [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Day Two, Gen, Harry Potter AU, Hartmon Week 2016, M/M, headcanons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2016-05-24
Packaged: 2018-06-10 11:45:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6955198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punk_rock_yuppie/pseuds/punk_rock_yuppie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hartley loves the wonderment of the wizarding world, and can’t imagine living without it.</p><p>And yet, despite all that, every magical moment is tinged with bitterness. One would think that after six years the guilt and shame of breaking a notorious family tradition would fade, but one would be wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	until the very end

**Author's Note:**

> here it is! day two of Hartmon Week--a Harry Potter au! I had so so so much fun writing this, seriously. I might be a little rusty on my HP lore, it's been several years since I read the books or even watched the movies, but I tried to blend Hartmon into the HP universe as best I could.
> 
> This story employs the Hartley we see in season 2, the reformed Hartley--though he's still a bit of a wanker tbh. This story also takes place after the original Harry Potter series and takes pieces from canon as well takes a lot of my own personal HP headcanons into account. I didn't name the OMC or OFC bc I couldn't think of names and didn't want to break the suspension of disbelief by throwing in random names--I hope the fact I kept them vague and nameless still makes sense. 
> 
> Hmmm I think that's it for my spiel--not beta'd, enjoy!

Hartley loves Hogwarts, he does. It’s abundant with lessons to learn, peers to bond with, luxurious libraries to hole up in for days at a time either to study or just to escape the world for a while. Hartley likes _magic_ , always has; he’s always loved the way his nannies would use quiet incantations to get their work done, and he’s always admired the way his mother had dinner ready with a nod of her head. Hartley loves the wonderment of the wizarding world, and can’t imagine living without it.

And yet, despite all that, every magical moment is tinged with bitterness. One would think that after six years the guilt and shame of breaking a notorious family tradition would fade, but one would be wrong. That sort of burn never heals, especially not when Hartley goes home every summer and has to face his parents and the rest of their pureblood family. Every summer, the wound opens anew with the sour glares and biting remarks about being a _Ravenclaw_ instead of a Slytherin like the rest of the Rathaway clan.

So yes, Hartley loves Hogwarts and loves being a wizard and definitely loves being a Ravenclaw—but he’s never quite been able to shake the shame of disappointing his family. The only good thing to come out of breaking the tradition is that his family seems to think being a Ravenclaw is worse than being gay; Hartley has never wanted to find out if he could handle being reminded twice as often about why he’s the family black sheep.

It makes his seventh year bittersweet: on the one hand, Hogwarts is the only place Hartley has ever felt accepted, safe, and happy. He fits in here in a way he never had elsewhere; the teachers like him, his peers like him, even the ghosts take him aside for conversations. It’s all very pleasant. But, Hartley is also excited to move beyond his reputation as being the only Rathaway to _not_ be a Slytherin, and instead move on to a nice job at the Ministry where, if he’s lucky, his last name will finally matter less.

-

Hartley pays attention only because he likes the teacher. He enjoys potions well enough, sure, but after seven years of taking it and pursuing it on his own time, he isn’t quite as invested in the subject as he once was. (Truth be told, charms is his favorite a reason he’s never been able to pinpoint). Hartley mostly pays attention because he adores the teacher: Professor Malfoy is a quiet man who always wears long-sleeved shirts and is kinder to students than most people would think. His past still haunts him, and it’s something of a bonding point for him and Hartley—horrible families, and all that.

Admittedly, after the first few minutes of class, Hartley starts to zone out. He watches Professor Malfoy move around the room, gesturing to this and that, but he doesn’t really take in what’s being said until suddenly the rest of the class is moving too. Hartley blinks and turns to stare owlishly at his table partner. “Uh, what did I miss?” He asks in a low voice, not unkind but sharp enough to startle his peer.

“Professor Malfoy wants us to pair up and—?”

Hartley looks around and groans when he realizes being so slow on the uptake has left only him and his tablemate unpaired. He faces the Hufflepuff again—the telltale yellow and black tie is distracting for the haphazard way it’s tied—and nods. “Okay,” Hartley agrees, “looks like we’re partners.”

The poor guy looks doubly stricken, and for a second Hartley worries a trip to the infirmary is in their future. The moment passes and the tension dissipates. The Hufflepuff scoots closer to the table and lets his book fall open with a loud clap against the wood. “I’m Cisco,” he says, belatedly extending his hand to Hartley in a shake.

Hartley returns the grip, a little amused, and opens his mouth to speak. “I’m—?”

“Hartley Rathaway, yeah.” Cisco looks away. “I mean, everyone kind of knows who you are, dude, you’re a legend.”

Hartley grimaces.

Cisco sputters and tumbles over his words to speak again. “Not in a bad way! No, seriously,” Cisco gestures to him, “I mean, you’re kind of awesome?” Cisco’s tone rises in a questioning lilt and continues at an expectant look from Hartley. “My whole family has been Gryffindors. My brother was Dante Ramon, he—?”

Hartley can’t help the way his eyes bulge in surprise. “Your brother is Dante Ramon? Hogwarts quidditch champion turned expert pianist?” Hartley leans forward with interest. “But you’re a Hufflepuff.”

Cisco heaves a humorless laugh. “Yeah, exactly. We’re kinda in the same boat, you know? I mean when I got here my first year and got sorted, I nearly lost it. But then I heard I wasn’t the only kid with a crazy pureblood family with a crazy family tradition so…”

Hartley grins. “So,” he agrees. After a beat of silence he gestures to Cisco’s open potions book. “What do we need to work on?” Hartley sits back and genuinely listens as Cisco regales him with the specifics of the assignment, chattering on excitedly.

-

They become friends after that—no sort of, kind of, maybe but not really bullshit about it. It’s easy when  Cisco—a sixth year, Hartley learns a few weeks into their friendship, with a penchant for taking the harder classes—knows so intimately the sort of shame and embarrassment Hartley has struggled with for years. How Hartley has never heard of Cisco or his own troubles is a mystery, still, but one Hartley is willing to let go in favor of getting to know his new friend.

It helps, too, that Cisco is more familiar with the muggle world than most of their classmates. Hartley had been raised in a pureblood household that took great pleasure in muggle niceties, and Cisco had been raised much the same. Their financial situations couldn’t have been more different, and Hartley was raised in Paris whereas Cisco had been raised in Edinburgh, but that connection is still there. Hartley can make a _Supergirl_ reference and not get a blank stare in return, and Cisco can make a _Star Trek_ reference and get more than a polite laugh.

It’s nice, Hartley thinks. Maybe even nicer than the last six years combined.

-

Hartley doesn’t mind Cisco’s other friends, either: a sixth year Gryffindor with puppy-dog charm, a seventh year Ravenclaw Hartley already knew in passing, and another Gryffindor, a seventh year young woman who clearly takes no shit. Hartley may not like them as much as he likes Cisco but that’s hard to accomplish; he likes Cisco a lot, he likes all the ways they’re similar and all the ways they’re different. Cisco’s friends aren’t so bad, and Hartley can admit he has Barry—the sixth year—to thank for finally working up the nerve to ask out Cisco.

 

(It goes smoothly, all things considered. They’re sitting by the lake with a few textbooks littered around them and quills abandoned by their bags in favor of watching the soft roll of ways and the occasional flick of a mermaid’s tail breaching the surface. Hartley tilts his head and catches Cisco eyes and kisses him just as the giant squid comes closer to say hello. Hartley had no idea Cisco had never seen the squid before, but it makes the moment even better for the delight and excitement sparking in Cisco’s eyes as he takes in the beast’s appearance.)

-

Hartley has never been more thankful for his prefect privileges when, a few weeks shy of the school year ending, Cisco comes to him with heated eyes and asks if there’s somewhere private they can go.

Of course, Cisco had first suggested the Room of Requirement, but Hartley had dismissed that quickly. After the debacle of Harry Potter’s final year, the Room of Requirement is hardly a secret and hardly somewhere _private_. Sure it suits your needs, but Hartley knows there’s little more embarrassing than the walk of shame from its doors.

Instead, Hartley leads him to the Ravenclaw’s prefect bathroom, elite and pristine in its appearance. There’s a large tub and benches and the room is sweet with the ever lingering scent of bubbles from the bath. It’s heady, mostly because the minute they’re inside Cisco takes him by the hands and pulls him close. They spend far too much time locked up in there, making good use of every bench, the floor, and for a short period of time, the lavish tub itself.

They nearly get caught by Professor Longbottom, but it’s still worth it.

-

Hartley has never felt as nervous as he does in this moment.

Well, wait.

Strike that.

The only time he can recall feeling this nervous, so much so that he feels he’s going to burst at the seams, is several years ago when he stood in line as a timid first year. He had fidgeted from foot to foot waiting for his name to be called in Headmistress McGonagall’s voice. Now, sitting in her office, he feels much the same. His foot bounces until she shoots him a glare and he quells the motion.

“I’m surprised to see you back so soon, Mr. Rathaway.”

Hartley shrugs uneasily but before he can explain, McGonagall keeps talking. Her eyes trace over the carefully written letter in her hands, the one Hartley had sent not long after his seventh year had finished.

“I had heard you were offered quite a nice job at the Ministry,” she remarks, looking at Hartley over the thin wire frame of her glasses. “What changed your mind?”

Hartley’s words spill forth like a dam has broken. “I was offered a nice job, but it was only because of my _name_ ,” Hartley scowls. “I didn’t want some high paying position where I’d sit around on my—sit around all day, making Galleons because of my family tree.” Hartley meets her gaze undeterred. “I wanted to work somewhere I know I’d be challenged, but also appreciated. I wanted to work somewhere my name doesn’t matter more than my actual abilities.”

McGonagall smiles. “Well, as I’m sure you know,” her grin turns all-knowing and mischievous, “Professor Flitwick has decided to finally step down sooner rather than later. He has plans to finish out the next year or two, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind taking on an assistant during that time.” She finally sets the letter aside and stares at Hartley head on. “And I’m sure he’d be more than happy to allow you to take over when he does decide to leave.”

Hartley swallows his nerves and ignore the way his heart is pounding in his chest. “So, I’m hired?”

McGonagall chuckles. “Yes, Hartley,” she says fondly, “you’re hired.”

 

(When Cisco walks into his seventh year charms class, taken because he has the time, and sees Hartley standing there looking smug, he drops all his materials and yelps. It draws everyone’s attention to Cisco and to his blushing red face, and Hartley feels a little bad for him, sure. Later, when Cisco corners him after class and kisses him senseless, Hartley apologizes half-heartedly for keeping it a secret. Cisco assures he doesn’t care, because it’s another year he gets to spend near Hartley, and that’s all he really needs.)

-

Rumors abound—among students—when Cisco takes a job as Hagrid’s assistant, helping to tend the grounds and teach Care of Magical Creatures. Sure, professors and evidently their teaching assistants have their own dorms as opposed to rooming with the students, but word spreads when Cisco and Hartley are seen slipping behind the same portrait too often to be a coincidence. The rumors are harmless, really. Mostly the inane, bored dribble of teenagers locked in a large stone castle for months with no television to keep their interest.

Living in the school is awkward at times, like when Hartley and Cisco are trying to take advantage of mutual down time and instead Sir Nicholas pokes his head in through a wall and tells them the Headmistress would like to see them. Even worse are the gaggles of girls who flock around the entrance to their room as though Hartley and Cisco are the most interesting thing at a _school for magic_ , but Cisco thinks it’s kind of cool and Hartley just does his best to ignore it.

Living in the school also has its benefits, though, particularly things only people familiar with the muggle world could truly appreciate. Things like living rent free and no commute to work are things that regularly brighten Hartley’s day. Not to mention it gets both him and Cisco away from their obnoxious families, which will always be a plus.

After a while, Cisco decides to start petitioning McGonagall to let the muggle world in a little bit, in small ways—ways like televisions and wireless internet and comic books, ones that _don’t_ move. It starts a ruckus in the school and despite his usual distaste for such a big hoopla, Hartley sticks by Cisco’s side and backs up his every attempt to wear the headmistress down. It comes to a head when Harry Potter himself stops by over Christmas break and tells Minerva what an _excellent_ idea it would be—she can’t possibly expect all wizards to go on being totally clueless about muggles forever, right? She can’t possibly want _more_ Arthur Weasley’s dabbling in ways of muggle technology without knowing what they’re doing, creating more rabid appliances, right?

It takes almost their whole first year living at Hogwarts, but eventually McGonagall caves and plans are set in motion to change the spells protecting the school to allow things like laptops, TVs, and cellphones.

-

Several years later when their son is sorted into Hufflepuff and their daughter is sorted into Gryffindor, Hartley and Cisco both focus on celebrating their kids and their houses, never letting the nonsense of legacies and traditions and lineages haunt them the way it haunted Hartley and Cisco. Cisco takes up sewing and knitting and makes sweaters for all of them; one in Gryffindor’s colors and one in Hufflepuff’s to wear at quidditch games and on chilly winter evenings. Hartley teaches both their kids charms to change the color of their ties—so the yellow can shift to gold and the red can turn to black and both kids can support each other even when their parents aren’t around.

Several years later, as he sits in the stands with Cisco, watching their kids fly on opposing teams—their daughter is a seeker, their son a chaser—Hartley supposes maybe they’ve created a new tradition. They’ve created a Ramon-Rathaway tradition, to never settle for what’s expected, to embrace surprises. It’s corny, and Cisco tells him so later that night when Hartley mentions the idea, off-handedly. Cisco is grinning as he teases, though, and even if he doesn’t say it Hartley knows just how much he likes the idea.

 

(When Hartley and Cisco tell their kids about the theory in their third year, their daughter groans and gets up from the dining room table and leaves without a word; their son blinks at them, brow furrowing, and asks _“jeez, have you guys always been this lame?”_ with so much affection Hartley as to pinch himself to remember this is _real_.)

**Author's Note:**

> If it wasn't clear, Hartley and Cisco both come from pureblood families, but ones that are a little more involved in the muggle world rather than being total recluses.


End file.
